today, the foreign ministers of russia and canada discussed their competing claims to take control of a large part of the arctic, including the north pole. their claims will eventually be judged by international experts. >> both russia and canada respect the united nations as well as the u.n. convention on the law of the southeast, and we will submit our data on the ridge, and we are confident that our case will prevail, backed by scientific evidence. >> but the russians are already concerned that nato military forces could be sent to the arctic to protect western interests. >> we don't see, frankly speaking, any benefit that nato might bring to the arctic. the arctic countries have confirmed that all the problems that exist or may emerge in the area could be resolved through political means and international law. >> the question of whether the arctic will become an area of international cooperation or conflict will be discussed at a major conference in the russian capital next week. "bbc news", moscow. >> you're watching "bbc news." our headlines so far. a prominent pakistani politic